BIRD-IGUANA COHABITATION

[kathy....@bird.com]

From: Jeff Keohane <keo...@elaine30.Stanford.EDU>

>Does anyone know whether it's safe and/or practical keep Cockatiels and
>an iguana in the same relatively small house. The 2 'tiels run around
>loose most of the time, and it seems cruel not to let the lizard out
>frequently, too. My vet, however, said that this isn't wise. She said
>that when the iguana grows up it will try to eat the birds.

This is a very real possibility. My brother-in-law's large adult male
iguana used to eat whole (cooked) chicken legs regularly. Birds,
especially small ones, are a regular part of iguana diets in the wild.
Iguanas aren't the smartest critters, and it will be impossible to teach
it that the cockatiels aren't supposed to be dinner.

>Even more dangerous, perhaps, is the fact that the iguana may give
>salmonella or e. coli to the birds -- the lizard loves to climb around
>on the birds' cage, and they don't seem to mind. The iguana is not
>currently shedding either bacterium, but the vet is still concerned
>considering the fragility of 'tiels.

When my niece lived here, she had a hatchling iguana, about 7" long. It
grew like a weed, and was out of its cage more than it was in. I was
concerned from the beginning about the salmonella/e.coli problem, even
though the iguana never went into any of the rooms where the birds
reside here. There is no way to guarantee that the iguana won't shed one
or more bacterium at any time--it's a totally random thing. From what my
vet told me (and I really picked his brain on this issue), there is NO
way to ever guarantee that the lizard won't start randomly shedding
bacteria; they can't be treated for it prophylactically. When the niece
and iguana left, I was relieved to see the lizard go.

>Everyone else with opinions or solutions please post or feel free to
>write to me directly.

What I'd suggest is making a larger exercise cage for the iguana (you
can build one out of 1/2" mesh wire fairly cheaply). Fill the cage with
tree branches and a small pool, and leave it caged most of the time.
Take it out to play in any rooms where the birds don't go very often.

I would NOT let it near or on the cockatiel cage, or any of their
regular roosting places. Even if the iguana doesn't actually poop on
those spots, all it needs to do is walk through poop in its tank and
THEN walk near the tiel perches to transmit bacteria. And YOU can even
transmit it on your skin and clothing. Best thing you can do is to make
sure you wash THOROUGHLY, and change your shirt after handling the
lizard.

You probably CAN keep the lizard and birds in the same apartment; you
just have to be VERY cautious about cross-contamination possibilities.

--Kathy,
Lincoln Park, MI

* SLMR 2.1a *

[kathy....@bird.com]

From: detr...@aol.com (Detrickm)

>It is preposterous to even think that an iguana is going to try and eat
>any bird. They are 100% vegetarian, and I hope that is how you feed
>your ig.

NOT! Iguanas in the wild regularly eat bird eggs and fledglings. Baby
iggies often eat bugs, worms and carrion. There IS a danger in keeping
birds and iguanas together. Better to be safe and keep'em apart, rather
than to trust "the experts" and lose a bird, IMHO.